Serendipity revisited

Published
5:06 pm CDT, Thursday, June 4, 2015

Gayle Harper’s adventures with a raindrop began by chance and ended in a whirlwind of activity that is taking her on a ride of a lifetime.

She discovered the Great River Road and fell in love with the Mississippi River just a few short years ago. Harper, a long-time travel writer and photographer, had dreams of writing about the sites she had found along the riverbanks and the feelings they invoked. But she wanted a hook; something that would lend some structure.

By chance, she read that it took 90 days for a drop of rain to travel the full length of the Mississippi. And instantly, she knew that was it. She “adopted” a raindrop that she christened “Serendipity,” and metaphorically followed it down the river from its beginnings in Minnesota, travelling more than 2,300 miles to its mouth in Louisiana where it discharges into the Gulf of Mexico.

Harper’s experiences, the people she met, the things she captured in photographs, accompany her writings in “Roadtrip with a Raindrop, 90 Days Along the Mississippi.” And, she knew as soon as the trip was finished that she would go back to visit as many locations as possible.

“Every place was my favorite place when I was there,” she said. “I enjoyed the stories, the history, the people, the entire experience.”

The Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Stephanie Tate arranged several events for Harper’s return to the Alton area.

At 2 p.m. Friday, April 24, Harper will be at the National Great Rivers Museum, where she will present a multimedia presentation and sign copies of “Roadtrip with a Raindrop.” That same evening, from 5 to 7 p.m., she will sign books at Grafton Winery and Brewhaus in Grafton.

From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25, there will be a presentation and book signing at the Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower in Hartford; and from 2 to 4 p.m., she will give another presentation and sign books at The Nature Institute in Godfrey.

Her presentations include a video production of photographs that takes the audience on a mini tour of her journey, complete with storms, Native American drums and recorded voices of people singing, along with many sights and river sounds integrated with narration and music.

Rather than concentrating just on the local area she’s visiting, she shares the entire journey to help everyone learn about other spots along the Mississippi.

“It helps us to hear all the stories and see it as one river, viewing it from multiple perspectives,” she said. “This project helps to see the river as a whole.”

Initially, she said it was mostly people who lived along the river who were interested in her book, but interest has grown to include people from around the country — and even Europe.

The launch party for the book was held last November, and until this past Christmas, Harper held several events local to her region around Springfield, Mo., including a presentation at Chateau on the Lake in Branson, Mo.

Beginning last month, she began working her way to other places along the road and river she travelled. After the Alton region events, she will head to St. Louis to take part in the Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 26 on The Muny Grounds in Forest Park as a guest at the booth of the organization “1Mississippi.”

She has signed a contract to cruise the Mississippi River on the American Queen Steamboat this summer. The American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built with a capacity for 436 overnight passengers.

“I will be an onboard presenter, sharing the adventures of our little raindrop with river-lovers from all over the world,” Harper said.

She also was asked to be the speaker for the Missouri Kansas Library Association Joint Conference.

“I don’t usually look very far ahead,” Harper said. “This book has never been goal-driven — selling so many copies or making money — it’s a labor of the heart. I have a vision, and I do the work that needs to be done. But now, when I look into the audience and see bright faces lit up and so engaged in the story, it’s very gratifying.”

She said the book and surrounding events have basically taken on a life of their own.

“There have been many invitations, and I’m still just following ‘Serendipity’ wherever it leads me. I am so thankful and consider myself very lucky,” she said.

“Roadtrip with a Raindrop” is a finalist in the competition for Foreword Review’s INDIEFAB “Book of the Year” Award. The winners will be announced in June at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.

“Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days along the Mississippi River” can be purchased at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.acclaimpress.com, and www.gayleharper.com. It also is prominently displayed at 42 Barnes and Noble stores along the Mississippi River. Books can be purchased at all of Harper’s events.